Never Judge A Book By Its Cover
by Vedra42
Summary: Sequel to One Door Closes. They assumed she was just another civilian consultant, a new science geek starting her first day of work, nothing special. By the end of the day they would be sure never to make that mistake again.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All recognizable Harry Potter characters, places, etc. belong to JK Rowling. The recognizable Stargate characters, place, etc. belong to MGM, Scifi and the creators Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright.

A/N: This story in cannon compliant thru most of DH, but has slight differences which will become clear over the corse of the story. This is the second story in the New Life series. I would also like to thank my beta Periculum for all her help with this story.

_She could hear shrieking. It kept getting louder and louder. Who was making that awful noise? It wasn't until she was gasping for air through her abused throat that she realized that she had been the one screaming. _

_"Where did you and your blood-traitor friends get that sword from? How did you get into my vault? TELL ME, you filthy Mudblood Bitch!" snarled the form of Bellatrix Lestrange. _

_Tears were leaking out of her eyes as she continued to twitch on the floor. "I-I don't know what your t-talk-ing about."_

_"LIAR!" With a vicious jab of her wand the pain came back, burning along her nerves. _

_Fire. She was on fire. "AhhhhhhhhhhhAAAhhhhhAAAAHHHH HHHHH!" The spell ended, leaving her heaving on the floor. As her body ceased to convulse she let her head momentarily rest on the cool tile. Glimpsing the mess she had made Hermione could make out the swirling flecks of blood amongst the yellow bile. For a brief unbalanced moment she wondered how much Lucius had spent on the tiles. _

_Bellatrix forcibly brought her attention back to the present by grabbing a fistful of hair and yanking her head back, bringing a silver dagger to rest at her throat. "TELL ME!" _

Hermione jerked awake and scrambled out of bed, grasping for her wand. It wasn't there. As the realization washed over her that it was just a dream, she found herself sinking to the floor as the adrenaline left her system.

Unexpectedly she was seized by the familiar tremors originating in her extremities. In response she tried to slow her breathing before it could escalate into a full-on attack. Dry sobbing with her head buried into the mattress for a few minutes, she rode out the pain before attempting to stand. She walked slowly around her bedroom, testing her legs to see if they were steady. Once she was satisfied they wouldn't give out she made her way through her new flat into the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea.

Easing onto a stool, she finally glanced at the clock. sighed, knowing that she wouldn't sleep again tonight. She sat, momentarily lost in her thoughts, letting the warmth of the mug seep into her hands.

Maybe it had been a bad idea to come here.

The stress of the last month, combined with the cooler climate, had brought on relapses she hadn't worried about in years. Not that she wasn't use to living in cooler environments, but she had been living in more temperate areas for years and had become acclimatized to the warmer weather. Colorado Springs was rather pleasant, especially now that summer was finally arriving, but in the early mornings she could still feel the chilled wind coming off the mountains. She still suffered from an occasional bout of painful tremors, a side effect of having the Crucio cast on her during the war. Normally she could pass them off as sudden migraines and ride out the pain, but at times an attack could escalate, seizing up her limbs for several minutes and leaving her trembling and weak. Since she had accepted this new job she had experienced two severe attacks in the past month compared to the four in the last seven years. Even then it had been a full three years since she had undergone one, they were supposed to decrease with time.

Glancing at the stacks of files adoring her dining room table, which had been provided to bring her up to date on the Stargate Program, she once again sighed. What had she gotten herself into?

Hermione had spent the last month in a controlled panic as she had recovered from being shot; finished out her remaining quarter teaching; organized her move to the U.S.; dealt with family and friends questioning her sanity for working for the military; sat through debriefings, security checks and psych evaluations, all while having her total outlook on history turned on its head again. It was worse than when she had first discovered she was a witch and had to adjust to a whole new world being opened up to her. Back then she had known she was different than other kids and welcomed the new experience. The existence of aliens had completely blind-sided her, and those reports where completely amazing stable wormholes, space ships, black holes, parallel worlds, robots, false gods...it terrified her. She had been in this place before - on the threshold of a new world filled with new possibilities - and she had barely survived it. Now that she was older and hopefully wiser, maybe she would be able to protect herself better, but at times like these with her dreams still haunting her thoughts she didn't know if she was willing to risk herself again.

Having finished her tea, she rinsed the mug and went to take a shower and get dressed for the day. She dressed in a simple blouse, trousers and shoes, and studied her appearance in the mirror. Her hair was still a curly mess most of the time, but it had lost much of its uncontrollable frizziness over the years, picking up natural highlights from her time spent outdoors. Pulling the mass into a tight bun reminiscent of her old Transfiguration professor, served to make her features appear more severe than they were. What little baby fat she still possessed had been lost during the Horcrux hunt and the intervening years had left her more active than the schoolgirl she had been. She wasn't by any means the athlete Ginny was, who had been a professional Chaser for several years before she and Harry had tied the knot the several summers ago, but she had developed the habit of jogging three times a week if she had the time, or swimming a few laps at a local pool. Her skin had remained true to her English heritage, a pale ivory unmarred by her years in the desert. In her opinion, she would give not too bad a first impression on her first official day of working in the mountain.

Gathering together her supplies for the day, Hermione made her way into her second bedroom, which she had fashioned into an office, to check her computer for any emails. Her wizarding friends still sent her owls, but anyone in the Muggle world who wanted to keep in touch would know to reach her electronically. Breezing through the pop-up ads, she found a couple updates to archaeological journals she subscribed to, a request to help in a translation from an old classmate and a quick message from her parents. Starting with the request, she looked at the attached picture of an iron belt buckle covered in Celtic runes, which was a simple warding against the lure of the faery folk. Once she had composed her response, adding some general enquiries about recent activities, Hermione moved onto the next message, having printed out a copy of the buckle for her records in case the find became something more at a later point (it had happened before).

Skipping her parents' message for the moment, she engrossed herself in the new articles published in the updated journals to pass the time until she had to leave. Finishing up she saw that it was now 6:18. She wasn't suppose to report in until seven o'clock, but she thought it might be prudent to leave early in case something came up; in any event, she didn't think she could wait any longer. Double checking to make sure if she had everything, Hermione then left the apartment, grabbing a muffin on the way out, to calm her nervous stomach.

She carefully drove her freshly purchased used Toyota pickup out of the driveway and onto the road. If she could face down Voldemort and his Death Eaters, she could face whatever they threw at her.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO 

Captain Simmons pulled into his usual parking space just in time to glimpse an attractive woman exiting her truck in the employee lot and head into the mountain. She didn't look familiar, and judging by the casual civvies she wore, she wasn't some bureaucrat coming to cause trouble. Exiting his vehicle, he made his way into the mountain up to the first checkpoint, following the woman's lead. He watched curiously as she handed over her credentials and was escorted by a waiting airman to the lifts.

Turning his attention back to the guard station, he glimpsed the brief look the guard had been directing at the mystery woman. The Sergeant was obviously embarrassed at being caught in his examination of the retreating figure. Simmons lifted an eyebrow in a silent query, which the guard answered, "Dr. Granger, the new archaeologist Dr. Jackson hired, sir."

Recalling the recent memo which had made its way around the base about Jackson's trip to Egypt and the new Goa'uld Osiris, Simmons replied, "The one he, Carter and Frasier ran into outside of Cairo?"

"That's the one, sir" the guard confirmed with a slight smirk.

Also seeing the humor, Simmons let the smile on his face grow just a bit more. The SGC rumor mill had been abuzz about the newest addition to the staff for the past month. Everyone wanted to meet this woman who had so impressed Dr. Jackson that he had convinced the brass to hire her on the spot as his self-proclaimed protégée. They also wanted to see what kind of person could get the unflappable Major Carter so riled up about a simple background check. It had been a constant source of amusement for Colonel O'Neill, who'd been having a field day teasing her about it.

Breaking his reprieve with an observation clearly meant not to be heard, the Sergeant murmured, "She sure doesn't look like a science geek."

Nodding in absentminded agreement, Simmons continued on his way through the check-in stand. Most of the base's personnel had been expecting the new doctor to be just as bookish as the rest of the scientists populating the base. Judging by the reactions she had received thus far, Dr. Granger was sure to cause a stir amongst the predominantly male staff with those curves today. Stepping into the lift, Simmons found himself already liking the new doctor; she would provide some much needed drama for the masses, something always fun to watch.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_Pain. _

_Confusion. _

_Blackness. _

_What was going on? _

_Where was he? _

_The thud of boots hitting grating. "Welcome home SG-3."_

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_"_Thank you, I will be right up," Daniel said into the phone before hanging up. Grabbing his mug of coffee and a box containing back-logged mission reports, he made his way toward the door to go meet up with Dr. Granger. She had arrived early for their meeting and had been directed to a conference room in the upper-levels of the underground base. As he walked out the door, he was startled by the approaching figure of his teammate Jack O'Neill, barely managing to stop before he ran him over.

"Wow, where're you going, Danny-boy?" inquired Jack, stepping into the office and plopping himself into a spare chair.

Shifting his load, Daniel replied, "I'm off to meet Dr. Granger on level twelve."

Feigning shock, Jack clutched his chest in a dramatic gesture. "You mean your mystery woman has finally arrived? Here I was thinking you and Carter had made her up."

Looking at the clock, Daniel could tell that he was likely going to be late. Sighing, he replied in a resigned tone, trying not to encourage his teammate. "Yes, Jack." It wasn't that Jack didn't know that his new addition to the staff was starting today after a months postponement; it was just a chance to get on his nerves. Since he had hired Hermione, Daniel had kept in contact to bring her up to speed on the various cultures and languages which had been encountered since the SGC had started, and to his delight Hermione had shown a surprising aptitude in picking up the information. Despite the problems in getting her through the background checks and red tape to gain clearance for her employment, Daniel felt that it would be well worth the investment.

Sitting forward in his seat Jack dropped the light atmosphere, his demeanor becoming more serious. "So she finally passed the last of the psych evaluations?"

Daniel couldn't help but bristle at the question. Steeling his voice, he ground out, "Yes, she passed all of the ridiculously unnecessary tests you and Sam concocted." Jack may joke about Sam's distrust of Hermione, but he had made no objection to the barrage of evaluations, tests and background checks she insisted on putting her through after convincing the General to allow her more than the initial few days she had originally been granted. With the questionable history which had been uncovered it had been decided the best way to get to the truth was to have Hermione see a psychiatrist to see if she fit the profile of a operative or someone suffering from PTSD

from what had sent her into witness protection in the first place.

Cocking an eyebrow Jack asked, "What does Carter say about that?"

"She still can't find any proof that Dr. Granger is anything other than what she says she is. When will you two be satisfied that there is nothing to find?"

"Danny, she was being recruited to be a God-damned spook," said an exasperated Jack.

"They were interested in her language abilities, just like we are." Why couldn't his team see that? For the past month Daniel had been having this same conversation with both his teammates, whose military mind-set had placed them on guard of anyone who could be considered a potential threat. In Daniel's opinion it had gone past ridiculous around the time Sam had been arranging a polygraph test to be administered two weeks ago.

Jack ran a hand through his hair. "That may just be what they want you to think. I know that you think this woman could be of great assistance in your department, and I know that you have been looking for someone who could run the place in case anything were to happen to you, but you need to be careful. Look, I've had some experience in dealing with these types of groups back in my black-ops days and you just can't trust anything you see or read. That information Carter found could be deliberately misleading and I don't need to remind you that this is the most highly classified secret the U.S. has. I'm sorry, but we had to be sure she can be trusted."

Daniel sighed again, letting some of his anger abate, knowing that Jack had a point. "I see your point, but I've kept in touch with her for the past month and she's exactly the type of person were looking for. She not only figured out the existence of aliens by herself, but managed to hold her own in an altercation against a Goa'uld. Sam has examined her background with a fine-tooth comb, and she has gone through the psych evaluations as well; if there was something to find it would have been found. Sam is probably just frustrated her computer skills couldn't find anything quicker."

Daniel waited for Jack to argue some more, but was surprised by the contemplative expression he wore. "Is that really what this is about?"

Daniel was confused by the abrupt subject change. "Uh, what do you mean?"

Standing, Jack gave him a measured look. "It's just that Share has been gone for a while now and-"

Seeing what Jack was implying, Daniel quickly cut him off. "Jack, I'm not interested in Dr. Granger." He was shocked that the thought had even crossed his friends mind. Before Jack could continue to press his ludicrous point, he quickly reiterated the sentiment. "I'm not." He did not want to continue the conversation. "Look, I need to go. I'm already late for my meeting."

Quickly leaving his lab and teammate, Daniel found his mind racing. He wasn't even sure what to think. Analyzing his actions for the past month, he couldn't understand why Jack would think he was interested in Hermione. Well maybe he could. For the past month, the topic of Hermione Granger had come up rather frequently, generally involving him defending her against Sam's suspicions. Also he had been spending a great deal of his free time on the phone with the woman. Thinking about it, he knew that he had been acting off since finding Sarah had been possessed, and had found talking to Hermione easier than to his teammates. It wasn't an attraction to the doctor, not that she wasn't appealing; it was just that they both had known Sarah, had been able to bond over the common loss. They had similar interests so it was only natural.

Jack was just reading more into it than there was. Trying to clear his thoughts as he approached the meeting room, Daniel shifted the box's weight onto his other arm and reached for the doorknob.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I still own nothing.

A/N: None of the archaeological sites or books are real, I have made them all up. Also the scientists are OC characters.

Examining the room she had been brought to, Hermione patiently waited for Dr. Jackson to arrive. Her nerves had faded on the drive over and now she was beginning to feel some of her long-dormant excitement surface. The room she was in was not that much different in design from any other government building she had visited in the past month - very utilitarian.

When Daniel and Major Davis had brought up the idea of coming to work for the SGC, she at first thought it was part of an elaborate plan to keep her silent.

A way to keep an eye on her.

Once she had been assured that wasn't the case she had been unsure of what to do. Daniel's pitch was a good one: the chance to be on the cutting edge of groundbreaking discoveries, explore alien worlds. It was entrancing, but she could read between the lines, that their explorations were dangerous and that their fight with the Goa'uld could be catastrophic. Did she really want to risk her life once again, in a war not of her making, against a foe _far_ more powerful than anyone had ever faced? She had been bred for war since she was eleven and had spent the past seven years being punished for it. She was tired of trying to do the right thing and never being recognized for her sacrifices. Could she really step into that role again?

_Now is the time when we will have to choose between what is right and what is easy. _

Old lessons still held true.

It wasn't in her nature to stand by and let others fight alone, not if she could do anything to help. They needed her skills as a translator and, for all she knew, would one day need her knowledge as a witch after some strange encounter off-world. Could there be colonies of witches and wizards on other worlds? She knew she couldn't trust anyone else in the magical community not to screw up the Stargate operation, if the program ever had to go looking for answers about magic on their own. In their ignorance they would look for a magical cause behind the Stargate and likely take to erasing memories or try to take control without any understanding of the Muggle science behind the program.

It also didn't help that she was too smart for her own good and the idea of learning about alien cultures had her curiosity piqued. Since when could she resist the temptation, let alone the challenge?

So she accepted the offer and that was when the trouble began.

Hearing the creak of the door opening, Hermione turned in her seat to see an agitated Daniel entering the room caring a box and a travel mug.

"Sorry I'm late," he said tersely.

Ignoring his brisk manner, she gave him a reassuring smile at the attempted apology. "Not a problem. I haven't been waiting long. Do you need any help?" she offered, seeing him almost fumble the box he held.

"No, um, no I'm alright; just let me put this down." She waited for him to continue, but a silence fell over the room. Observing her new colleague, Hermione could see that something was bothering him, he looked a bit flustered and was concentrating a bit too much on arranging himself into the office chair. Finally finding a satisfactory position he gave her his attention and began to speak.

"Alright, well, let me explain what, uh, all this is. In this box I have some back-logged files of artifacts SG teams have brought back, which I haven't had the chance to look over yet. What I want you to do is start looking through them and translating what you can. You'll be able to find most of the items themselves in the main archaeology lab, but if you can't locate one, I might have it somewhere in my office."

She watched as he stared off in thought before focusing back on her.

"Sorry, it just occurred to me that there might be more than a few. I haven't really straightened up the area for a bit."

Before he could completely deviate from the initial topic, Hermione jumped in. "That's fine; as long as you show me where to find your private lab, I'm sure it won't be a problem."

"Yes, well that sounds fine. My lab is on a different level than the rest of the department, so I'll show you when we're touring the base. Anyway, most of what you come across will be mundane stuff, but if anything pertaining to the Goa'uld, the Ancients or other significant subjects comes up, just use your own discretion, you will need to bring it to me immediately. If I'm off-world you will need to report to General Hammond if it can't wait. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she said firmly. She had been thoroughly briefed in the protocol of the base already and knew what was expected of her.

After giving her a considering look he continued. "Good, before you get started first let me show you where your lab is located and introduce you to the rest of the archaeology department, then we'll go on a full tour of the base." Nodding her head in agreement, Hermione followed Daniel's lead through the twisting hallways to a door bearing her name.

Entering her private lab, she found a large desk with a computer on it resting against the back wall, a chair, filing cabinet and bookshelf occupying the space. Her gaze was drawn to the bookshelf with a few books already populating it. "Um, well here is your lab. You can decorate it if you want and bring in your own reference texts. I took the liberty of making you some copies of the translations the staff has put together of languages without an Earth origin. I, uh, know it's kind of utilitarian, but you could uh, spruce it up. Lots of the staff have photos they bring from home or set up a cot in case..."

Hermione took pity on the flustered doctor, who had probably taken her silence as dislike.

"No, it's fantastic, I'm sure I'll come up with something."

Daniel took the chance to move onto another topic. "How about we head over to the main lab and introduce you to the rest of the staff?"

Once again Hermione found herself following Daniel through the hallways as he went on about the security measures in place on the floor, "...and if you look down there you can see the entrance to the back-up generators for the base. There are also medical supplies like stretchers and such found in lockers on each level of the facility in case of emergencies..." Hermione listened and tried not to be too overwhelmed. It both amazed and worried her how conscious of security they were. Feeling a pang of remorse at the thought of how different it would had been back at Hogwarts if there had been the foresight to put in similar safety measures, the lives that could have been saved. Shaking off her regrets, Hermione reminded herself that Hogwarts was a school and shouldn't be treated like a military base.

Entering a large workroom, Daniel guided her past the various workstations littered with assorted artifacts to a table with several scientists milling around it. All attention shifted to the pair as they stopped at the table, and Hermione resisted the urge to cower under the intensity of the combined stares. Thankfully Daniel took the opportunity to make the introductions.

"Dr. Granger, I would like you to meet Dr. Fletcher, Dr. Burwell, Dr. Meyer and Dr. Gilliam. Everyone, this is Dr. Granger." A murmuring of hellos and handshakes followed in varying degrees of warmth, some going so far to actually drag her around the room to show off their work.

Before Dr. Meyer and Gilliam could engage her into a full blown discussion on the merits of Cole's _Reference Guide to Phoenician _Verse_,_ the more modern Triter text, Daniel took the opportunity to interrupt. Promising to complete the discussion later, Daniel made quick work of familiarizing her with the facility.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hermione had barely set foot out the door before Richard Burwell voiced his observations.

"I don't like her."

Of course he wouldn't like her, thought Patrick Fletcher. From the moment Dr. Richard Burwell had joined the program, he had deluded himself into believing that he was Dr. Jackson's second in command. His scholastic reputation, intelligence and large ego had let him lord over the department and effectively placed him unofficially in charge of the daily running of the department, since Dr. Jackson was often occupied elsewhere.

"You haven't even given her a chance yet," Patrick said.

Richard scoffed.

"She's a kid. I don't know why Dr. Jackson would place her as head of the department when he is off-world. Not when others have been here longer and already have proved themselves."

Patrick remained silent, knowing exactly what the other scientist was implying: that Dr. Jackson should have let his colleague be officially promoted to the position that he felt was his right. Trying to pacify the man, he countered, "Richard, I'm sure if you voiced your concerns to Dr. Jackson, he would be willing to see your point."

"I'm not too sure of that, Pat." Richard's tone was derisive. "Haven't you been listening to the gossip mill as of late? Apparently Carter and O'Neill have been concerned about the interest Jackson has displayed toward our newest addition."

Patrick could barely believe that Dr. Burwell would suggest such a thing. "I'm sure that is not the case. You know that Dr. Jackson would never-"

Not listening, Burwell continued on like he hadn't been interrupted, "I mean she is not too bad on the eyes. I'm not saying she probably isn't qualified, but do you honestly think that someone like her would be able to handle the dangers we face everyday just by coming into work? That she won't go screaming the very first time a foothold situation transpires? She's just some English Rose raised to be an armchair scientist, never to step foot out of the library and end up a professor married to some upper crust gentleman with an interest in history. I'll bet she's never even been to a dig site. When I was her age I spent months stationed in the mountains of Chile doing little more than deciphering inscriptions inside caves. It wasn't pretty, but it was real work the backbone of archaeology, getting your hands in the dirt, treading where ancient man made their mark..."

Patrick let the man rant and tried not to roll his eyes. Just who did the man think he was, some Indian Jones type character? Dr. Burwell was probably the least likely of them all on the staff to engage in any type of fighting, especially against an alien threat. The man was overweight and prone to frequent asthma attacks, long past his glory days, he was not even allowed off-world when an archaeology team was needed. None of the department was really the athletic type and content to stay within the safety of their labs.

It was obvious that the man hadn't done his research on Dr. Granger. Patrick wouldn't admit it, but he had been just as concerned as Burwell at first, until he had begun looking at her resume. She was good. Not just good, but brilliant and he was looking forward to letting his overblown colleague find that out for himself.

Once Dr. Burwell had gravitated back to his own workstation, he was left to continue his own studies. Time passed and Dr. Granger was brought back to the room to start tackling the files Jackson had left for her. The rest of the morning Patrick spent working, and occasionally helping Dr. Granger on the rare occasions she had a question. She mostly kept to herself, successfully fending off the glares Burwell kept sending her and the adoration of Meyer and Gilliam in their sad attempts at bootlicking to their new boss. He had to praise her skill at handling the fawning of the two scientists and Burwell's attempts to put her in her rightful place when she could have just retreated to her private lab. The girl was probably overwhelmed and wanted the human contact; he felt sorry for her.

When lunchtime arrived, uncharacteristically everyone decided to make the trip to the cafeteria instead of working through the hour or eating what they brought from home. The group sat at one table in the corner and Patrick had a front stage view of the spectacle of Dr. Granger being introduced to the SGC personnel.

_"Hello. I'm Dr. Holm of the physics department on base. We're actually pretty small in comparison to the staff they have at Area-51; anyway it's very nice to meet you. If you have the time I would be happy to give you a tour. That is if you're not too busy."_

_"What is your opinion on the reworking of the Kendal translation of the temple of Almphi, do you think his use of the Keb codex qualifies for all the variations in the tales?"_

_"-so me and Allen had been camped out in this swamp for going on three days by the time the backup arrived. Of course we hadn't had the chance to clean up, I swear we smelled worse than a sewage plant and we still had to infiltrate the base. Clark figured a way for us to wash off before we ruined the element of surprise so we had to first obtain some clean clothes-" _

_"You've never felt anything like the rush of going through the gate. I can't even describe it, it's amazing and hair-raising all at once."_

He felt like he was in high school again, watching the bizarre mating rituals of hormonal teenage males. It was common knowledge that the male to female ratio on the base was severely unequal and the female staff often had to deal with male attention, but this was a little extreme. Then again most of the attention might be due to the fact that she had already been a subject of base gossip for a few weeks.

Making a quick getaway, Dr. Granger left the table early to head down for some checkup with Fraiser, leaving the rest to gossip. Burwell continued his vindictive tirades but thankfully were ignored by the group at large.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_Bright. Too bright. _

_Too many people. _

_The voices. So many voices talking. _

_Pounding in his head. Searing through his body. _

_Had to get away. _

_Escape. _

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

She almost couldn't hear the footsteps behind her, but once again past lessons held true and she could just make out the soft footfalls of the guard Dr. Jackson had assigned to her. He was suppose to help her for the next few days find her way around the labyrinth of the underground hallways, but she had noticed the too-close scrutiny he held her under. Trying to remain optimistic, she hoped his interest was just curiosity like everyone else.

At a brisk pace she made her way down the halls, trying to avoid the stares she had been receiving since she had arrived on base; it was making her uncomfortable. Hopefully when her uniform jumpsuits finally came in it would help her to blend into the masses, instead of drawing more attention in her civilian attire. She didn't delude herself into believing that they all were attracted to her; more that they were curious about the new recruit. Then there were her new colleagues: the overly eager, neutral and spitting furious.

Ever since she had been exiled from the wizarding world she had developed some slight issues with working with other people. Likely a byproduct of having to lie about both her life and research at times or maybe her inherent distrust of almost everyone she met. Some might say that she was in real need of some therapy, and normally she might have agreed, except for the fact that after the psyche exams she had been unpleasantly surprised with, the idea of seeing another shrink was revolting.

Most of her former colleagues and classmates had labeled her as an uppity swot who deliberately set out to be independent and not help the group as a whole unless forced to. That wasn't entirely true, given that her intelligence once again had drawn jealousy and scorn from others and they therefore held a bias against her. She found she possessed little patience for backwards old men who underestimated and patronized her because of her age, and then resented her for doing their job better than they could. She could work in a group; she just had to like and respect the people to do so.

Finally arriving at the infirmary, Hermione made her way into the room, the smell of disinfectant hitting her nose. Looking around, she didn't see the slim form of Dr. Fraiser walk around from behind a privacy screen and approach her.

"Dr. Granger. I see that you found your way down for your check-up."

Startled, Hermione spun to face her, "Uh, yes." Trying to regain her equilibrium, she elaborated, "It was fairly easy with someone escorting you," gesturing at the guard who had taken a post at the door.

Janet gave her a smile and with a pointed look at one of the beds occupied by a soldier still in combat fatigues, said, "It's nice to see that somebody around here can make an appointment on time."

Sending Hermione a wink he joked, "She doesn't know how vicious you can be yet, doc, just give it time."

Hermione could see Janet was suppressing her mirth. Giving the soldier a reproachful look, the doctor warned, "Do you want me to pull out the yearly physical now? I know that you have one scheduled in a month, but I could always move it up, since you seem so keen on the idea of hanging around despite the fact that I've already cleared you."

The soldier, clearly seeing that she wasn't kidding, began shaking his head and jumped off the cot. "Nope, I'm good, doc. Let me just get out of your way while the rest of my team is cleared." As he walked by Hermione he placed himself at the foot of another populated cot. The occupant was dressed in the same uniform as the soldier and appeared to be talking to himself. Seeing that he still held her attention the soldier used a stage whisper for one last remark aimed at Janet. "See what she's really like, just wait till she starts talking about the needles." He gave a playful shudder as Janet sent him a glare.

Chuckling, Hermione was ushered over to another cot with privacy screens on the opposite end of the room for her exam. She was quickly directed to undress and put on a gown so it would be easier for Janet to get to the healing wound. Janet then proceeded to put her through a series of physical tests designed to make sure her gunshot wound had been fully healed and the muscle tissue was repairing. They talked about her recent move to Colorado Springs. The two had become quite close in the time Hermione had been confined to the hospital back in Germany while she healed. Hermione had found Janet to be a very kind and compassionate individual who held a similar bossy personality as herself. They got along well and had exchanged emails as she planned her move to the States.

As Hermione explained her exhausting move and the series of evaluations the Pentagon had insisted she take before she was officially hired, Janet was quick to offer sympathy. It was nice to let her guard down a bit and grouch about the situation with someone in the know - someone who would understand her position and frustrations. She hadn't been prepared for the amount of red tape involved in her employment, the hours of paperwork to gain approval alone. For a time she hadn't believed she would make it through the close scrutiny, and they would find out her background was false. Going to prison, accused of espionage, was not how she wanted to spend the rest of her life. She had sent a nice bottle of brandy to Percy and a very nice Swiss army knife to Mr. Weasley in thanks for her background checks withstanding the scrutiny.

Once finished her inspection, and confirming that Hermione was completely mended, Janet began the more basic exam of collecting blood samples and such for her records. Their friendly talk continued.

"So have you been able to look around town yet? It's not huge, but there are a few nice shops and places to eat if you're interested."

Hermione shook her head in the negative. "No, I'm afraid that all I've been is to the base, the grocer and the hardware store. Besides that, I haven't really had the time to go exploring yet."

Making a mark on her clipboard, Janet looked back up. "Okay, I'm almost done here so you can put your clothes back on and I'll get this blood tested," she said, and left the makeshift cubicle.

Hermione was just smoothing down her reworked hair when Janet stepped back in and resumed their previous topic. "If you're not too busy this upcoming weekend I could show you around the area a bit. We can make a day of it and you could even come over for dinner afterward, finally meet Cassie."

Cassie was Janet's adoptive daughter, who Hermione now knew was a refuge from a Goa'uld-occupied world. During one of their many talks while she had been in the hospital in Germany, Janet had told her about the girl and even shown her pictures from her wallet.

"That sounds lovely but only if you agree to come over for supper next weekend at my place."

Sensing reluctance, Hermione tried to genteelly push. "I know that English cooking hasn't the best reputation, but I had the chance to work in a restaurant when I lived in Rome. It was only part-time but I did learn a thing or two from the owner on how to cook a proper meal, so nothing should be too heavy for an American pallet. I promise no kidney pie or fried fish."

Janet gave her a small smile. "It's not that. I'm just not sure if I can next weekend. How about the weekend after that?"

Hermione nodded. "I can do that. What time-"

"Janet, have you been experiencing any trouble with the computer systems lately? There have been several energy spikes in this area, as far as I have been able to detect," interrupted Major Carter, who Hermione could now see approaching their enclosed position against the back wall. The Major seemed to have recognized her at the same moment and stopped her explanation, seeing that Janet wasn't alone.

The two women stared at each other until Janet, breaking the awkward silence, answered the Major's inquiry. "No, I haven't noticed anything off with the systems, but I could take a look if you could wait a few minutes for me to finish up with Hermione here."

Still staring at Hermione, Major Carter replied, "Well, if you're busy I could come back later, or go have a look myself."

Sensing that the Major wanted her to leave, and Janet's reluctance to leave her before they had finished their conversation, Hermione quickly interjected. "Actually I need to be going. We'll talk later."

Before Janet could voice any protest over her hasty retreat, a loud crash gained all their attention. Immediately jumping into command mode, Janet hurried over to the commotion. "What happened?"

The same soldier who had been joking earlier answered as he helped pick up his teammate, who was sprawled on the floor, and place him back on the cot. A nearby nurse who had been helping was displaying a bleeding wrist and looking very confused. "He just collapsed, ma'am," replied the soldier.

Hermione noted that the patient was the same man who had been talking to himself earlier. He looked worse now, with chapped lips, blotchy red skin and sweat pouring down his face. Standing back, Hermione and the Major watched as Janet began to bark out orders to her staff. She quickly sent the bleeding nurse off to a colleague as she set about instructing the rest of her team for the soldier's treatment. They got him hooked up to a number of monitors and an IV, but he still didn't wake up. Finishing up, Janet walked back over to them and explained. "He's stable and we're not sure what happened, but he appears to be severely dehydrated. I've got him on IV fluids and we're monitoring his kidney function."

"What about the rest of his team?" asked the Major.

"Nothing was found in the post-mission check-ups except for a few small cuts likely caused by brush. They appear to be just fine, but I will have them stay for observation just to be sure. Despite the sudden onset it looks like just a basic case of heat exhaustion; nothing to indicate that they picked up anything off-world," replied Janet, a troubled expression crossing her face.

Taking the lull in conversation to make a getaway, Hermione reiterated her earlier sentiment. "I really need to get going, so I'll see you later."

As Hermione began to quickly trek back to the upper levels, she hoped that the indomitable Dr. Burwell wouldn't make too big a scene trying to show her up for the rest of the day. The man was really too old to be that constantly combative; she hoped he wouldn't have a heart attack and have to be taken to the infirmary today. Janet didn't need that much drama.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_Escape. _

_It hurts. Stop the pain. _

_Imprisoned again. _

_Must get away from the bright lights. _

_Darkness. _

"Excuse me but you're not supposed to be here."

_Threat. Attack. _

_Oh God, the pain. _

_Must get home. _

_Must make them take me back. _


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I still own nothing.

A/N: Some of the characters are OC's based off of individuals never named in the Stargate series who were background characters. Also I am not an engineer and know nothing about problems in computer systems all the information is made up.

Sam was in her lab, working on her naquada-powered generator research, when she received a call from a gate technician informing her of an anomaly in the computer systems. Apparently shortly after SG-3 had gated back from their recent mission, a series of power surges had begun to spike through the system, frying several functions. The technicians were worried that some computer virus had found its way into the system, and wanted her to double-check their progress.

She headed down to the observation room and began personally checking each system, looking for the problem. Whilst she typed madly on the keyboard, several reports began to pour in from other areas of the base about similar problems in unrelated systems. Frustrated with the lack of progress, she decided to search the affected areas herself to look for a common pattern to the power spikes, while the gate technicians keep running diagnostics to the main network.

Backtracking through the systems, Sam followed the trail all the way to the infirmary. Seeking out Janet, she was startled to find that Dr. Granger was there. Staring at the woman, Sam took notice of the shifts in her body language, indicating just how uncomfortable she was with Sam's presence in the room. Sam wasn't sure what to think about Dr. Granger any more. All of her instincts were telling her that the archaeologist was hiding something, but after weeks of fruitless background checks and evaluations, nothing had been found. It wasn't reassuring; it just made her more uneasy.

It was with some relief that Sam watched Dr. Granger's quick retreat when Janet had her attention diverted by the collapse of the Lieutenant.

"Why don't you give her a chance?" asked Janet once Dr. Granger was out of sight and her team had completed assessing the condition of the soldier.

Sighing, Sam wasn't sure how to voice her concerns. "There's just something off about her. I know that you and Daniel don't agree but I can't help it. Something just doesn't add up."

Janet gave her a piercing look. "I'm not going to argue with your instincts, Sam, you've been right often enough. And I know that Daniel doesn't fully realize the risks, but if you haven't found anything by now, I don't think you should drive yourself crazy looking for something that either isn't there or is too well hidden for you to find. My advice would be to leave her alone, and if something is wrong we will find out eventually."

"I'll see what I can do." Sam changed the subject. "Anyway, let's check out your systems to see if they are experiencing any power surges." Janet gave a nod and directed her toward the main terminal in her office. Walking over to the main power conduits, Sam started to run a series of diagnostics, without any success. There was evidence of the power spikes a few minutes before, but they were no longer affecting the system. She frowned in confusion. "Everything seems fine now, but there was a concentrated period of increased energy surges a little while ago. Whatever was affecting the system is gone now."

Janet looked concerned. "Can you tell if there was any damage to the files?"

"Not that I can see, but you might want to check with the backups just in case," Sam said, puzzled. "I need to see if any other areas have been affected. Radio me if anything strange begins to happen again."

Continuing her scans, Sam gradually followed the strange readings toward the upper levels, before she was interrupted by the sound of her radio activating. She ignored the initial chatter of a request for security to observe a possible breach until the base-wide PA sounded.

"SG-1, General Hammond requests your presence in the briefing room immediately." Quickly finishing her test, Sam headed back to the lower levels of the base at a brisk pace, wondering what had gone wrong now.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Back in the main lab, Hermione once again shuffled through the files Daniel had left with her, seeking out the one she had started before the lunch break. So far she had successfully translated part of the inscription of the tablet from the image alone, but the bottom section was out of focus. Finding the paperwork, she located the serial number it had been assigned and began to rummage through the storage area for the piece.

It wasn't there.

Turning, she caught the attention of Dr. Fletcher. "Excuse me but have you seen item number B671? It isn't on the shelf."

Looking curious, he moved closer to take a look at the shelf himself. "Hmm, what is it you are looking for exactly?"

"It's a stone tablet, about ten by eight, brought back by SG-5 about a week ago," explained Hermione.

Pausing in thought, Dr Fletcher replied, "No, I haven't, but you might try checking Dr. Jackson's office."

Hermione then remembered Daniel's earlier warning. "Of course he told me to drop by if I couldn't find anything." Walking toward the door she quickly swung around. "Thank you for the help."

"It's not a problem," replied the doctor.

Once again she found herself walking through the hallways down to Dr. Jackson's lab. Finding the door partially open, she gave a knock before letting herself in. Daniel was inside leaning over a large table, a desk lamp illuminating a scroll, which he was studying intently. The sound of her knock didn't break his concentration, so Hermione politely waited for him to take notice of her presence. Finally finishing his examination of the scroll, he looked up, surprise showing on his face. "Oh, sorry I didn't see you there. Is there uh, something I can help you with?"

"Yes" replied Hermione. "I'm looking for one of the artifacts - a stone tablet about ten by eight in size."

Daniel got up and began to comb through his shelves. "I think I know what you're talking about. It should be right about...Here." Stepping toward her, he held in his hand the missing item, which Hermione took from him.

"Thank you," she said, offering a smile for his help.

He waved away her concern. "Don't mention it. So how have things been going? No problems?"

She was hesitant to bring up the presence of the guard assigned to her. She was beginning to suspect that she was still not trusted and that the guard had been appointed to keep an eye on her. "None at all."

"Well that's good." He trailed off in silence, apparently not knowing what else to say.

Hermione was also beginning to feel uncomfortable with the small talk and broke the silence that had settled over the lab. "I really need to be heading back. Thanks for the assistance."

"You're welcome, and don't hesitate to find me if you have a problem."

Leaving Daniel's office, Hermione made her way back to the lifts, where she encountered Dr. Burwell already waiting for them to arrive. She hadn't seen the man since lunch and had been informed he had been studying some video footage in a projection room in the lower levels. Standing there, she couldn't help, but notice the change in his appearance in the few short hours since their last meeting. His complexion was splotchy and his skin was slick with sweat. Warily she watched him out of the corner of her eye, hoping he would not cause a scene this close to Daniel's lab. Earlier she had successfully fended off his cutting remarks about her skills, but she knew that a bigger confrontation was brewing.

With a soft swish the lift arrived and they stepped in. The ride up was charged with silence. Finally arriving back on their floor, Hermione tried to make a hasty retreat and was dismayed to find herself stumbling into Dr. Burwell instead. "Oh my, I'm so sorry. Here, let me help you clean this up." Quickly bending down she started to help the man snatch up the loose papers he had been carrying.

"That's alright; no harm done."

For a moment Hermione stilled in shock, and looked up into the face of her colleague. His look of concern wavered under her stare before she quickly plastered on a polite smile. "Well, um, here are your papers. I really am sorry. Maybe I could help you reorganize everything?"

Still giving her a pleasant smile, Burwell replied, "Oh, no I'm okay. Thank you, but I must get going."

He began to turn away and she quickly tried to get his attention once more. "Aren't you coming back to the main lab?" Hermione asked, forcing herself to maintain a tone of nonchalance.

"I'm sorry, but I am needed elsewhere at the moment," he replied in a downright gentlemanly way.

Hermione stood frozen, watching the figure walk away. Something was wrong. That could not have been the Dr. Burwell she had come to know this morning. He had been _nice_ to her. What had happened to the man?

A polite cough jolted her from her thoughts; she had almost forgotten the guard who had been minding her. "Excuse me ma'am, but we should be moving along." At her confused look, he elaborated, "You're still standing in the lift." Surprised, Hermione moved.

Taking a few steps down the hall, she glanced down the corridor that Dr. Burwell had taken. She felt uneasy.

_Something isn't right._

She hadn't realized she had spoken aloud until she heard the guard's questioning voice. "Ma'am?"

Hermione hesitated. She had no proof that something was going on; she just had a bad feeling. She did not want to sound paranoid on her first day, over something that was probably nothing. Then again, if she was right and did nothing...

But there was something off about the man, something different.

What?

_Hermione noted it was the same man who had been talking to himself earlier. He looked worse now with chapped lips, blotchy red skin and sweat pouring down his face... _

The soldier back in the infirmary.

_Standing there, she couldn't help but notice the change in his appearance in the few short hours since their last meeting. His complexion was splotchy and his skin was slick with sweat... _

"Radio the security station! Tell them that something is wrong with Dr. Burwell and that they should monitor his movements," she ordered.

The guard - she really needed to find out his name - gave her a skeptical look. "I need reason to initiate the surveillance, ma'am."

"Tell them that he has experienced a radical personality change and is acting suspiciously; he might be infected with something," bristled Hermione. She kept her gaze firm, staring down the reluctant guard, whose expression clearly said he thought she had gone round the bend.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Rubbing his eyes, Simmons tried to focus on the monitors showing the movements of the personnel in their daily tasks. He found this part of his job very boring, monitoring the video feeds of the cameras scattered throughout the base for any security risks. The waiting for something to happen was the worst; nothing to do until a threat arose and then his team was called in to provide backup. Shifting a bit in his chair, he started to work out a kink in his neck, when the sound of the radio alerted him to a request by a guard stationed on level-6 for his assistance.

He straightened in his chair and answered, "This is Simmons, over."

"Sir, this is Lieutenant Anders. I have a message from one of the scientists on this level. She believes that Dr. Burwell has been compromised."

He could tell from the Lieutenant's voice that he didn't believe the scientist and was only calling in to humor her. Amused that one of the scientists was going off the deep end, he responded, "What has led her to this assumption?"

The response was reluctant. "She says that his personality has suddenly altered and he is displaying symptoms similar to those of someone who collapsed in the infirmary earlier."

Pulling up the security cameras from the corridor the Lieutenant was radioing in from, he could see the man standing next to Dr. Granger. She was staring at the guard with a look of disapproval and as he watched she grabbed the radio from the man. Her voice rang out over the frequency, heavy with authority. "Captain Simmons, this is Dr. Granger. I want you to find Dr. Burwell on the security monitors and observe his movements right now."

He was surprised at her commanding tone, not expecting the new archaeologist to be that confident in issuing orders to others on her first day on base. Despite his skepticism, he couldn't help but follow her order and pulled up the security feeds, not really expecting to see anything. Backtracking through the system, he watched as Dr. Burwell departed from Dr. Granger and Lieutenant Anders, proceeding to a restricted weapons locker. There the man choose several sidearms before walking back out of the room, leaving an unconscious guard in his wake, before the camera died from a energy spike in the system.

Grabbing the phone, he quickly called General Hammond to report the security breach before ordering the security teams to organize. As the men grabbed weapons a base-wide PA call for SG-1 was issued.

As he glanced back at the screen showing Dr. Granger and the guard, Simmons could see that they were still in the corridor arguing. Swiftly, he used his radio to send a message to them. "Lieutenant Anders, you are to take Dr. Granger back to the main lab and stay there until further ordered." He watched as the airman took the opportunity presented by his address to seize the irate doctor by the arm and begin to lead her back to the main archaeology lab.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Remember, don't put any pressure on it for the next two weeks and keep it elevated with an ice pack until the swelling goes down." Janet finished her exam of the officer's sprained ankle, giving him instructions to follow.

As she removed her gloves one of her nurses approached. "The soldier who collapsed earlier is waking up."

Standing up from the low stool she had been perched on, Janet gave herself a quick moment to stretch before following the nurse toward the cot the patient was occupying. She checked the monitors first before studying the patient. She could see just the beginning flutter to his eyes but as she watched they finally opened all the way, darting around the space suspiciously.

"Can you tell me how you are feeling?" enquired Janet as she took a penlight from her coat pocket and began to inspect the soldier's pupil reaction.

Giving her a confused look, he turned away, blinking from her exam. "Uggh, I'm pretty sore and I, uh, feel really warm. W-What exactly happened?"

Ignoring his question for the moment, Janet continued her assessment. "What is the last thing you remember?"

Confused, he answered slowly. "Well I was doing a simple sweep of the campsite looking for anything we might be leaving behind. We started to walk back to the gate...the next thing I know I felt this blistering heat surging through my body. Then blackness. I was shouting for my team b-but nothing. I couldn't see or feel anything until I woke up here."

"You don't remember going through the post mission check-up and then collapsing?" Janet asked him, troubled that he had so little recall of what had happened.

Shaking his head, he answered, "Nothing, ma'am. W-what actually happened to me? Is my team okay? Can I see them?"

Concerned, Janet calmed the patient and called over a nurse to observe him while she made her way over to call General Hammond about the situation. Just as she reached the device, she heard the PA announcement for SG-1 to report to the debriefing room. Picking up the phone, she made a quick report to the General and was told to come to his meeting with SG-1 as well, since she was aware of the situation unfolding.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_Must escape. _

_They were coming. _

_So many. Too many. _

_Pain. _

_Home. Want to go home. _


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters J.K. does I also do not own any of the Stargate world. I am making no money from the writing of this story it is for entertainment purposes only.

A/N: This is the last chapter of this story. I am still in the process of finding a new beta for the rest of the series, so if anyone is interested please notify me. This chapter ends a bit abruptly was things remaining unresolved, but it's intentional, this story was only ever supposed to be Hermione's first day. The third story I will begin to post after Thanksgiving weekend. I will be away from a computer until then and would rather be able to post the story continuously and not leave everyone waiting half way thru.

What the hell was going on?

Hermione hadn't been able to get a straight answer out of the guard since he had forcibly dragged her back to the archaeology lab after receiving an order over the radio. Rubbing her bruised arm, she could tell that whatever the situation was, it was escalating fast. As she watched, two more guards took up positions at the door, preventing any of the scientists from leaving. Her colleagues hadn't seemed to notice the commotion at that point and continued on with their work.

Trying to keep her voice steady she demanded, "Will someone please tell me what is going on?"

The guard who had earlier manhandled her answered, "Ma'am, there has been a security breach. I have to ask you to hold your questions for now and stay in this room until further notice."

As she opened her mouth to protest, a hand landed on her shoulder and a voice from behind her spoke. "We understand, and we'll get out of your way." Turning, Hermione found it was Dr. Fletcher who had interrupted her objection. He gently pulled her from the doorway with a pointed look, and she followed him to a secluded table removed from the rest.

Impatient, she waited for the man to speak. His continued silence had her on edge and it finally got to her. "What was that all about?"

He looked at her reproachfully. "By the looks of things, the base is being placed into lock-down and the guards are there for our protection. It is usually not the best course of action to antagonize them when doing so."

Hermione felt stung by his scolding and focused on trying to cool her temper. "I'm sorry."

"That is quite alright. It is understandable that you are not used to these situations, it being your first day and all." She could tell his words were meant to comfort her, and gave him a smile of appreciation. "Best thing to do is get back to work while they sort out the problem."

With a last lingering look at the doorway she nodded and walked back to her workspace. Sighing, Hermione picked up the tablet she had retrieved for Daniel's office, making notes as she worked out the story behind the symbols.

Hours ticked by with little change in the guard's behavior except the occasional increase in radio chatter that was trickling in through the closed door. The atmosphere of the room was oppressive with worry as the scientists concentrated on their tasks, and not the situation at hand. Hermione found it hard to focus and would occasionally get up to wander around aimlessly. She could tell that the others found her movements nerve-wracking, so she tried to stay still and wait, all the while resisting the urge to jump in her seat. She didn't like sitting on the sidelines while others might be fighting for their lives.

More hours passed.

Their shift was supposed to have ended two hours ago.

They waited.

Lost in thought on the artifact before her, she was snapped into awareness when the sound of the door opening broke the silence in the room. Everyone looked up, sending concerned glances at the figure that entered.

It was the guard who had been assigned to keep watch on her who entered and spoke. "The situation has resolved itself. You may go now."

What?

Astonished, she watched as the staff quickly went about packing to leave for the night without anyone questioning the soldier. Glued to her seat, she could only stare open-mouthed before a quick glance from Dr. Fletcher reminded her it wasn't her place to question the actions of the military personnel on the base. She was a civilian consultant and could not involve herself in military matters. Fighting her instinctive curiosity, her mind swirling with questions, she bit her tongue following the staff out to the lifts.

"It doesn't get any easier," voiced Dr. Fletcher from her side. She could only offer a weak smile in response as they entered the lift; she could feel her body beginning to crash as the adrenaline in her system, no longer required, plummeted.

She wasn't made for an idle life of standing by.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Are we sure that the entity has been eliminated?" Questioned General Hammond as he stared down the room's occupants.

"Yes, sir," confirmed Janet, "I've had my team double-check Dr. Burwell and all those who were exposed to the entity. SG-3 has also been placed in observation as a precaution; no one else is showing any signs of being possessed. Those who were affected are still suffering from varying degrees of dehydration, but they are responding to treatment."

He watched as Hammond's attention then shifted to Captain Simmons. "What damage have we sustained?"

"Sir, we sustained minimal..."

Daniel found, to his frustration, that he couldn't focus on Simmon's words through his headache, his mind beginning to wander. It had been a long day and his blood sugar was down; he hadn't had time to eat much during lunch before the General had summoned SG-1 in for an emergency meeting.

"...the backup systems are operating, but the energy surges did cause..."

Giving up on following the conversation, he took the time to study the other occupants of the room. Jack, he noticed, had been sending him several probing looks; he probably wanted to grill him about his avoidance for the day. He didn't feel in the mood for that conversation and moved his gaze onto Sam, who was focused on Simmon's report. Teal'c, he noted, remained his usual collected self, while Janet looked a little haggard from her activities during the lock down and the continued stress her staff was under.

"...and the guards have remained stationed at the doors of the infirmary," finished Simmons.

"Good work, Captain. I want a full report on my desk by 0900 tomorrow. Major, I want a full systems diagnostic run before we switch back from the backups." Hammond directed the last at Sam.

"Yes, sir," she affirmed.

Addressing the entire table, the General finished, "Good. You all are dismissed."

As the meeting began to break up, Daniel gathered his papers to head back to his lab, where he planned to try and finish the work which he had to put aside earlier to help with the situation. The unknown entity had possessed a member of SG-3 and had attempted to fight its way back to the Stargate, jumping from one host to the next. Daniel had tried to talk to the being, but ultimately had been unable to convince it to surrender, its mindset bordering on animalistic. After the security teams had incapacitated Dr. Burwell the entity had proceeded to jump from one body to the next, causing mass confusion. It had been Sam who had discovered the link between the power surges and the entity's movements. Working with Janet, the two had found a way to stop the entity when it was in the process of leaving its host. The being had unfortunately been killed in the process.

Keeping his attention on Jack, he exited the room, hoping to make a quick getaway before his friend tried to bring up their conversation from earlier in the day. Being distracted, he didn't notice Sam laying in wait for him in the hallway until she called his name.

Undeterred from making good his escape, he continued walking, but she followed. Finally he relented with a sigh. "Yes?" She didn't answer right away. A little impatient, he prompted her, "What do you want, Sam?"

Looking very uncomfortable, Sam began, "I just wanted to apologize for the way things have been for the past month. I know that I haven't been very supportive and I'm sorry for that."

"Uh, wow." Daniel wasn't quite sure what to say, "What brought about this change?"

"Captain Simmons informed me that it was Dr. Granger who noticed that something was going on in the first place."

He was relieved. "So you don't think that she is a threat anymore?"

"I don't think that she is going to harm anyone." It wasn't exactly the answer he was looking for, but it would do for now.

"Well, thanks, Sam." He paused, "I need to be getting back to my lab."

Her expression was one of relief at the end of their awkward conversation. "Yeah, I need to get started on those system diagnostics."

They both turned to go their separate ways when Sam called back to him, "Daniel." He turned to face her, and she continued, "I think that Dr. Granger will make a fine addition to the staff."

He smiled, accepting her attempt to end the bad feeling between them. Comforted that their feud was at an end, he walked back to his lab in a much better mood than he had felt all day.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

_Clack. _

Her keys hit the table as she stepped into her apartment and flipped the light switch on.

Going straight to the kitchen, Hermione put a kettle on to boil before she made her way to the bedroom to quickly change out of her clothes. Dressed in sweat-pants and a tank top, Hermione walked back into the kitchen just as steam started to issue forth from the kettle. She proceeded to get out a cup and pour the hot water over a tea bag to steep. Not even wanting to think about cooking dinner, she picked up the phone and ordered some Chinese.

She took her tea and went to the living room, turning on her stereo system and sinking into the sofa. One thing that she enjoyed about being back in the Muggle world was the vast music selections available compared to the Wizarding Wireless. Rolling her neck to relieve the tension in her shoulders, Hermione began to relax, listening to the soft notes of the music while waiting for her food to arrive.

She wasn't sure what to think about her day; it was very confusing to find herself working for the military, of all things. As far as her expectations went, it hadn't been as bad a first day as she had thought it would be. At least no one had died, as far as she knew. In fact it almost felt like old times, going on adventures with Harry and Ron, except for the part where she had been ordered to stand-by and let others save the day. She wasn't reckless enough to believe that she could have helped, but it was hard not being in the center of events. It was also very frustrating not being told what had occurred during the lock-down.

She was a civilian consultant and should remember her place.

She would need to work on that.

She wasn't expected to step in to save the day anymore.

A knock at the door drew her attention away from her thoughts. Answering the door, she paid for her food before taking it back to the living room to eat. Once she was full of lo mein and eggrolls, she put the leftovers in the fridge to save for another day.

Walking into her office, she turned on the computer and set about responding to the email she had set aside before going into work. Her parents had disagreed with her choice of working for the U.S. military in a classified project. They saw it as her once again throwing away all her hard work, the chance of a promising career, on a ridiculous enterprise that would likely end up placing her in danger. It was just another nail in the coffin of their already strained relationship. Her mother continued to send emails, but they were fewer and farther between than ever before.

Finishing typing her reply, Hermione picked up a book from one of her shelves and retired to the living room to read. She wasn't tired yet, her mind still racing with the excitement of the day. For the next couple hours she let herself get lost in the novel until a loud tapping against her window brought her attention back to the present.

It was an owl.

She pried open the window, letting the bird fly into the room, where it perched itself on the back of an armchair, staring at her expectantly. It extended its talon to her and she took the proffered letter from its grasp. Noticing that the owl was not moving, likely waiting for a reply, Hermione got out some of her leftover Chinese to feed to it, along with a bowl of water, before sitting down at the counter to read the letter.

_Dear Hermione, _

_I hope that all is well with you and your new job is going well. How is Colorado Springs? I know that the area is cooler than Cairo, but still an improvement over dreary old England. Summer has just barely arrived for us and already Mum is planning Percy's wedding to take place at the Burrow before the summer's end. _

_I still can't believe that the uptight git actually had the cheek to propose after one date! _

_I actually think this wedding is going to end up toppling both Bills and mine in its grandeur and size. I know it's hard to imagine. In my opinion, Dad's health scare really shook her up and she is once again in a panic about losing someone in the family before their time. Hence the over the top wedding shenanigans. Don't worry, he is completely recovered and sends his love. _

_Anyway, with the nice weather finally making an appearance, Mum has been able to start setting up the temporary shelters for the guests she is expecting. I've been dropping by to help, since Merlin knows my brothers (along with Harry!) have been hiding from the preparations. By the way, everyone sends their love and wishes that you could be here for the celebrations. _

_Harry just finished up a big case and has been taking some down time to help with the baby. James is getting so big and has already begun teething. I've enclosed some pictures of him and Harry. _

_Aren't they just adorable! _

Hermione glanced at the wizarding pictures which had slipped out as she had opened the envelope. They showed a very tired Harry passed out on a sofa with baby James snuggled up on his chest, also asleep; as she watched Harry's mouth fell open and his snores became deeper. The second was of Harry trying to feed James and the ensuing food fight. Another was of James playing with his toys and Harry getting hit in the head with a block.

_Business is going well for Ron and George. They are going to be opening another branch before the year is out - in the U.S! Just a warning, they might use the opportunity to drop by unannounced and drag you off for the Grand Opening. If I were you I would clear up some time toward the end of November after some holiday the Yanks have - Turkey Day __or something. Apparently they're hoping to hit the Christmas shoppers._

_Bill and Fleur are doing great along with the girls. Bill got another promotion at the Bank and is taking them on a holiday to Greece. Mum is about ready to skin him alive for leaving, even if it is only for two weeks. Thank Merlin Charlie just arrived and grabbed her attention. _

_He brought a date! I'm not joking, my eternal bachelor of a brother has been in a steady relationship for going on three months now! _

_In other news, Neville has been officially promoted to Professor of Herbology since Sprout is retiring. Luna and Dean have finally gotten engaged. Creevey has finished Auror training and is now partnered with Harry. Lavender has completed a new regiment of physical therapy with the experimental limbs St. Mungo's is testing. She is really doing well and sends her thanks for providing the text to develop them. Bill also wanted me to send along some more contact information for the cursebreakers who live in the States, in case you have need of them. _

_With all our love and best wishes, _

_Ginny Potter _

Smiling sadly, Hermione set down the letter and once again looked over the pictures Ginny had sent. God, James was getting so big and Harry looked so happy. She missed her friends, her family; it was so lonely having to always stay away.

With a sudden swipe of her hand, the contents of the envelope and the letter were thrown off the counter. Before the contents had even settled she was already regretting her rash actions. Bending down, Hermione began to pick up her mess while wiping away the moisture clouding her eyes.

What was wrong with her? She was never this emotional over a simple letter.

It was her new job. It reminded her of all the times she, Ron and Harry had gone off to save the day. Now she was alone and her friends were living their lives without her. Mr. Weasley, a surrogate father, had experienced a nasty case of _dragon pox_ which almost killed him and she hadn't been there. Harry and Ginny had a baby which she had only seen during Christmas five months ago. Her friends had gotten engaged and she already knew that she would once again be missing their big day.

At least she had been able to help Lavender.

When she had been studying in Cairo, she had come across a magical journal in a bazaar one day, which to the Muggles would appear to be just another turn of the century English novel brought to Egypt when it was still a part of the British Empire. To Hermione's eye, it was a rare magical tome on medical procedures never before published. She had bought it and had forwarded in to Madam Pomfrey at Hogwarts, who brought it to the attention of St. Mungo's. One of the advancements was replacement limbs of a far higher quality than previously available. Lavender, who had her legs crushed in the Final Battle, had been the first to volunteer to test them.

Composed, Hermione stood and walked back to her office, the international owl post watching her every move. Grabbing a pen and paper she set about writing a reply.


End file.
